The Waiting of Nicholas and Perenelle
by Jetainia
Summary: There was no Philosopher's Stone, it was merely a cover to hide the fact they had soulmates somewhere in the world.


_Monthly Challenges for All - Harmony of Souls Eternal_

 _Fill #9_

 _Representations: Nicholas Flamel, Perenelle Flamel_

 _Bonus Challenges: Schooner_

 _Word count: 883_

 _Notes: Timelines don't exist, the stone wasn't destroyed after Harry's first year._

* * *

He stared into the mirror and found himself afraid. He was twenty-five years old and yet looked to be only twenty. For three years he had watched his body and face intensely, for three years he had been unsure of the truth that now showed itself to him. Now it was plain to see. It was his twenty-fifth birthday. The time when he should have gained a magical boost to signify his maturity and ability to control his magic.

He had not received a boost and his worst fear and beloved hope was revealed as true. Outside the bathroom, his friend Perenelle called for him and he answered her with as steady a voice as he could. She came in the bathroom and he could see in her face that the same thing had happened to her as well.

Still, he had to make sure. "No boost?"

"No boost," she answered, coming up behind him and draping herself around his shoulders. Together they looked in the mirror and examined their too youthful faces.

For the past few years, the both of them had been feeling strange and it was only via a small passage in an old book that they identified what they might be feeling. Soulmates were something that had long since passed into legend, most likely due to how powerful they were when they joined and the mates had grown tired of being hailed as saviours or great wizards when they were mostly just regular people.

Now, as Perenelle and Nicholas stared at the mirror and saw the truth in the other's face, they knew that they too, would keep the secret. The question was, how? The answer came about via Nicholas' research into alchemy. There was said to be a stone in ancient times that could turn any metal into gold and grant immortality to whoever wielded it.

And this, they thought, was the perfect way to fool the wizarding world and live their lives quietly as they waited for the day that they would meet their respective soulmates. Of course, when they both said that they were granted long lives from the stone, it was assumed by the public that Nicholas and Perenelle were in a romantic relationship and it was decided that they would do nothing to stop the rumour.

It wasn't important what the public said. Not to them. They knew that there would only be one person for them and those people had not yet been born or met. So they waited. They travelled the world and saw the sights before settling down in France and pursuing their own interests. Nicholas continued his alchemy research while Perenelle dabbled with potions and the accompanying area of herbology.

They were content with their lives together, as long as those lives might end up being. There were many things they could find to keep them occupied and when they grew despondent, they knew that there was someone there who knew their feelings and could keep them safe until they found the strength to stand up and face the world once more.

Eventually, the names of Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel (apparently they were married now) faded into the background. They were known as the oldest people still alive due to the help from the Philosopher's Stone (which didn't actually exist). They were a tale to be told to young children, about the love between two people being so strong that they decided to stay by each other's side forever.

They were a tale that was told to children who didn't have soulmates. To show that even without the magic of a soulmate, it was possible to find such a great love as the old tales told. When war struck the world they belonged to, the Flamels retreated into their little cottage and waited it out. They were old, they had no interest in fighting.

Their slow lifestyle did not lend itself well to fighting for their lives. Their longevity had imbued them with a calmness that not many others held. They knew that what would happen would happen. In the grand scheme of things, it did not matter.

After two hundred years had gone past, they grew sedimentary. For so long now, they had been waiting. Somewhere, they both had soulmates they had yet to meet and they thought that cruel. All they wanted was the chance to know their soulmate, to move on and to actually live. It was when this became their one primary desire that they decided to fade out of existence completely from the wizarding world.

An announcement was made. Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel would cease using the Philosopher's Stone and pass on as was right. They had lived long lives and were tired. The wizarding world mourned the loss of two such great magicals but moved on, never knowing that the two were still alive and quietly waiting for the time that they could finally meet the one they had spent so long waiting for.

They would continue waiting. For that was all they could do. When the magic surge that was supposed to hit them several hundred years ago finally came after they met a pair of perfectly lovely people by the names of Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton, they knew their waiting was done. Finally, they were twenty-five. Finally, they could _live_.


End file.
